The Top Seniors Issue in Choosing a New Home

Where to Live in Retirement Principles of Universal Design Understanding Universal Design (UD) is essential for seniors evaluating their current home or who are shopping for a replacement home. Just because a community calls itself a Senior Community or an Active Adult Community doesn’t mean that they used the latest Universal Design Principles that make a senior’s life comfortable when the aging issues must be addressed. Here are the basic principles and examples of what to look for. Equitable use. All members of the household can use at lease one of each of the home’s amenities such as cooking, laundry bathing and toilet, outdoor access and indoor ease of movement. Flexibility and simplicity of use.  A fixture or appliance should be easily used; left or right-handed, reachable and give tactile and audible feedback as well as visual indications. Directions and labels should use large fonts that they are easily read and felt. Written instructions should include diagrams. Design should accommodate errors that might be easily made by impaired eyesight or hand tremor operating buttons and switches, Low physical effort.  A user should be able to maintain a neutral body position while operating to maintain balance. Minimize operating forces, repetitive action and sustained force. Examples are lever door handles, faucets and touch lamps and light fixtures, switches and plugs. Layout. Dwellings with a single story, hallways and doorways that accommodate wheelchairs with room to turn around at entryways and the garage.  While every dwelling may not have all of the latest UD features, be sure that it includes the highest priority features and can be easily retro-fit to accommodate an issue that arises later. Resources: www.aarp.com, www.abledata.com www.microsoft.com/enable/at/default.aspx